You Mean A Lot To Me
by Lady Jayde Une
Summary: Your friends are beside you to support you no matter what. Written for the Philinda Bad Day Tumblr challenge. Day 30 - Phil has sore muscles.


Notes: Written for the Philinda Bad Day Tumblr challenge. Day 30 - Phil has sore muscles.

Melinda heard gentle knocking on her door, it was 11pm and most of the Agents at The Playground were asleep, well at least she'd like to think so.

She slowed the hot water flowing out of the bath's taps and left the bathroom to answer her door, though in truth, she knew who'd greet her on the other side.

"You're late." May said tersely.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." Phil retorted.

May opened the door further to allow him into her room. "Come on in, the bath is nearly ready. I was just about to add the Epsom Salts."

"Thanks May, I hope they work." Phil grimaced slightly as he hobbled uncomfortably into May's bunk.

After a few moments, when the minerals had dissolved in the hot bath, Phil had climbed in and sighed. "Think I'll add a bath in my washroom, only having a shower in your bunk sucks sometimes…!"

When May was certain that Coulson was in the bath, she entered, leaning on the door jamb with her arms crossed. "You're an idiot."

"May, that's not helping me to relax." Phil sunk a little deeper into the bath to soak his sore muscles.

"I don't care. You've been pushing yourself too hard. Are you punishing yourself? Or me? Next time you go all out in your training without warming up properly, let me know! You could've seriously hurt yourself today, Phil!"

"I know, I know. Look, I'm sorry, ok?"

"Yeah? Well pushing yourself to destruction in the gym won't help." May pushed her weight off the wall and dropped the toilet seat lid so she could sit beside her best friend who lay contently in the bath.

"I just feel useless without my hand, I know I've been pushing myself too hard, I can see and feel it now."

"Mmm-hmmm."

"You're right about this stuff though, May. It's really helping my muscles, they feel a lot less sore now."

"I use them after a tough training session or a mission, it helps stop the muscles from spasming and causing the pain."

Phil snorted.

"What's so funny?" May asked, not seeing any humour in this scene at all.

"Nothing really. This just kinda reminds me of the old days, y'know? When we were at the Academy. 'Cept it was you in my position." Phil reminisced, splashing the water gently with his remaining hand.

"Yeah, I also remember what you'd do to help me." May stood up and threw a towel at his head.

"What?"

"Come on, get up. It's your turn."

Phil took the towel off his head looking a bit bemused and equally sheepish. He didn't know how to tell her he now has difficulty drying himself and tying a towel around his waist with only one hand and one stump.

He didn't need to, May looked over at him and understood. She opened up the towel to protect his modesty. Granted, there was nothing there she hadn't seen before, but it's only polite and she had no idea what there relationship was any more. A lot of things have been said and done, but at the end of the day, they will always be the closest of friends.

Once she had finished helping him to towel dry, she instructed him to lay on her bed.

"Excuse me?" He gasped.

"You gave me the best massages after I got beaten up on our first missions after the Academy. Well it's my turn to return the favour. Now, get on."

Phil lay on his stomach, face turned to the side, feeling slightly more uncomfortable than he thought he would be. She was absolutely right, he would give her back massages, leg massages, even neck massages during their early days. He loved helping to make her feel better, it was a small token of his gratitude when she'd get hurt fighting beside him, protecting him.

He groaned slightly when she sat on his backside and applied gentle pressure to his lower back and radiated that pressure up and outwards. She knew by the sound which escaped his throat, that she was in the right place. "You're still tense…"

He scoffed at his predicament, buck-ass naked, save for a thin towel separating the pair, her sitting on him, making him groan with pleasure, with the woman who was always first in his broken and scared heart….Nothing tense or awkward here….! "Am I?"

Melinda didn't respond, she didn't need to. The scene created by her, however innocent the intention, was not lost on her. She continued to massage Phil in silence, working his muscles until they were pliant by her hand.

All too soon Melinda climbed off Coulson, her absence keenly felt by his body just as he was on the cusp of sleep. He opened his weary eyes by a few millimetres meeting the soulful dark eyes of the only person who could know him better than himself.

"Look, no matter what happens, the ups and downs the team, the world or you and I go through…I will never leave your side. I will always be there to help and protect you, so let me in, let me help, ok?"

Phil's smile was small but genuine, "I will. Thank you, May. For everything. I could never tell you enough how grateful I am. How I wouldn't be nearly as accomplished or even ALIVE if it wasn't for you. If nothing else, I want you to know that you mean a lot to me, a lot."

~~~Fin~~~

Thanks for reading, it's been really hard finding and keeping any inspiration when the AoS cast are no longer posting any AoS goodies and pics, let alone any Philinda!

#NeedMorePhilindaFromMyKing&Queen


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